Frog Princess and the Prince of Pranks
by AnimationNut
Summary: In which James pulls a froggy prank on his sister, resulting in a princess' hysteria and Baileywick's exasperation. James is not only a royal prince. He is also the Prince of Pranks.


**I do not own Sofia the First.**

**Frog Princess and the Prince of Pranks**

With King Roland and Queen Miranda travelling on royal business, twice the normal amount of duties were bestowed upon Baileywick in their absence. There were three particular 'duties' that took priority over all others, of course.

"_Aaaagggghhhh!"_

The shrill, feminine scream echoed through the vast castle. Baileywick abandoned his breakfast preparations and raced down the marble corridors, towards the eldest princess' chambers. He had done this routine many times before, as Amber tended to be rather overdramatic. But she could work herself into a right fit, so he always investigated, if only to soothe the girl.

He reached the young girl's chambers and threw the door open. Upon seeing the reason for her distress, he very nearly slammed the door shut again. He gripped the golden doorknob tightly and swallowed down his anxiety.

Dozens of green frogs hopped blissfully across the decorative rug, their croaks only drowned out by Amber's fearful screaming. The blonde seven-year old was huddled in the middle of her grand bed, her fluffy covers wrapped tightly around her small frame.

"Amber?" Baileywick managed to find his voice. "Sweetie, you need to calm down."

Amber whipped her head around, his presence startling her enough that she stopped her shrieking. Tears dripped down her pale cheeks. _"Baileywick!" _She wailed. "Save me!"

The steward looked at the green lumps moving about. He was not at all fond of the amphibians, but the distress on her face caused him to shove back his own fear in order to bring comfort to the young girl.

Taking a deep breath, he stiffly walked through the room, doing his very best not to step on any of the frogs. He reached Amber's bed and the girl jumped into his waiting arms, burying her head into the crook of his neck and clutching the velvety material of his waistcoat with her small hands. He quickly departed, slamming the door shut behind him. A quick scan of the corridor assured him that none of the creepy hoppers had gotten out.

"There, there," he said in a soft voice, rubbing gentle circles on Amber's back. "You're fine. Ssh, now."

A hiccup escaped the girl as she removed her head from its secure place. She peered at Baileywick through wet eyes. "I hate him," she whined, her lips morphing into a pout.

Baileywick wiped away her lingering tears with his thumb. "You can't be talking about your dear brother James."

"I am. He did this horrible prank!" A scowl crossed her delicate features. "Just wait until I get my hands on him!"

"That would be unadvisable. You know how your brother gets when he is retaliated against. He will only strike back until he gets the last blow in."

"Well…is he at least in trouble?"

Baileywick allowed a small smile to curl across his face. "You bet he is."

"Good," sniffed Amber. "I suggest no dessert for three months."

"We'll make it one," Baileywick compromised.

"What was that blasted racket all about?"

The British-accented voice flowed down the corridor. Amber peered over Baileywick's shoulder to see the royal sorcerer, Cedric, striding towards them. "Cedric! You can hex James for me."

A slim eyebrow rose. "Sorcerers do not hex, princess. They curse."

"And?" Baileywick pressed.

"And I will not curse your brother. What's he done this time?"

Baileywick pointed to the white door that led to Amber's bedroom. Unable to dispel his curiosity, Cedric twisted the doorknob and peered inside. His lips twitched upon discovering the horde of frogs merrily hopping about.

"Close the door before they get out!" Amber wailed.

Cedric complied. "He's quite the rascal. Where did he get all those frogs?"

"That's what I'm going to find out." Baileywick adjusted his grip on Amber and held the girl out to the sorcerer. "Would you mind looking after her for bit? For all we know James has created frog habitats in more than just her room."

Cedric opened his mouth to dismiss the notion of him acting as a babysitter. The words died on his tongue as Amber looked at him imploringly, her arms held out. "I don't want to see any more frogs," she whimpered.

_Blasted children. _Cedric heaved a sigh and took the young princess from Baileywick's arms. Amber happily wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder. "You're a spoiled brat. I hope you realize this."

"Mmm-hmm," Amber mumbled, having heard the remark too many times to take any real offense from it. It was more of an endearment rather than an insult.

"I'll go see if I can find the culprit." Baileywick started off down the corridor. Before he rounded the corner, he heard Amber shout, "Throw him in the dungeon for five hours!"

Baileywick shook his head in amusement and continued walking, a thoughtful expression on his face. There were many places in the castle the young prince could hide, and he knew all of them. So what was the most likely one?

He paused in front of Sofia's door, looked at it for a moment, and smiled. He knocked on it sharply and a bout of frantic whispering erupted on the other side. "Gotcha," Baileywick whispered under his breath.

A second later Sofia opened the door, already dressed in her purple gown for the day. She attempted to smile, but the guilty look flashing in her eyes was hard to extinguish. "Good morning, Baileywick!"

"Good morning, Sofia." Baileywick bowed his head slightly. "I don't suppose you have a wayward prince hiding in here somewhere?"

Sofia faltered. An embarrassed flush crept across her neck and she stepped to the side, pointing to her white wardrobe.

He was there in three strides. He wrenched open the doors to reveal the seven-year old blonde prankster. James stared with wide eyes for a moment before arranging his expression into one of innocence. "Hey, Baileywick," he said easily. "I was just helping Sofia clean out her wardrobe."

Baileywick took in the boy's silk nightclothes. "I see. I doubt you'd be much of a help, considering you can't even keep your own room clean."

"That's a cheap shot," the boy whined. "You can see the floor now!"

Baileywick pulled James from the wardrobe and led him out of the room. "Breakfast in ten minutes, Princess Sofia."

Amused, Sofia nodded and closed her bedroom door. Baileywick walked James to Amber's room, a firm grip on his arm. James didn't bother to fight-he knew when he was caught. Baileywick paused in front of Amber's door and threw it open. "These look familiar?"

"Maybe. Who's asking?"

Baileywick rapped his knuckles lightly against James' lips. "Watch your mouth, young man. You're in enough trouble."

A groan escaped the mischievous child. "Come on, Baileywick, it's just a joke!"

The steward pointed at the dozens of frogs that were occupying the royal bedchambers. "You know very well that your sister is terribly afraid of frogs. This is a cruel joke."

"I was trying to help her get over her fear," James tried.

"I don't think so. _Where _did you get all of these?"

"The forest, at the pond. I spent many hours frog hunting."

Baileywick rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Are there any more surprises?"

"No," said James honestly. "I swear."

"Then here's what's going to happen. You are going to take _all _of the frogs out of this room. You're going to release them where you found them. You are going to apologize to your sister. After all of that is done, you're going to spend the next two days in your room."

"But Baileywick-"James started to protest, but the man cut him off.

"If you disobey any of these orders, you _will _be one very sorry little boy once I'm through with you."

James paled and nodded rapidly. "Okay, okay! I'm really sorry."

"Not as sorry as you should be," muttered Baileywick. But he gave the blonde hair a fond ruffle anyway. "You are going to kill me one of these days. Can't you behave?"

"I behave as best as I can," responded James. "Isn't that enough?"

"Hardly." Baileywick shook his head. "Get to work, James. You have many trips to take to the forest."

"Yes sir." James ventured into the room. Baileywick had only taken a few steps down the corridor when the boy called, "How'd you know where I was hiding?"

"You can't hide from me, James," Baileywick said over his shoulder, continuing his path for the kitchens. "No matter how hard you try."

James shivered and shut the bedroom door to prevent any frogs from escaping. "I hate when he says that," he muttered.

_Oh, well. At least I know he won't tell Mom and Dad. Now all I have to do is survive Amber when she gets her hands on me._

And _that _thought sent a true jolt of fear down his spine.

There was no fury like sibling fury.


End file.
